Tiverton Foxhounds Meet Again on Boxing Day

HUNDREDS continued to gather and show their support for the Tiverton Foxhounds when they galloped through the town centre on Boxing Day.

Cold conditions meant that no hunting could take place, and the ice had kept some horses in their stables, but it didn't stop the annual meet outside the market and trailing through the cheering people on Fore Street.

Kelvin Thomas from the Tiverton Foxhounds, based in Hensleigh said: "There aren't many horses here today because we can't get them out at home, and we haven't been hunting now for a week.

"Every year the crowd just gets bigger and bigger which is fantastic. It's a pity we can't have all the horses here as we normally do, but that's the way it is.

"We're managing hunting within the law and we're made welcome by in large wherever we go, and with the backing and support we'll keep going.

"Many of the people here today appreciate that hunting isn't easy under the current legislation, but we have kept going, and as I said many years ago, we'll keep coming back here every year until that's straightened out."

Conservative prospective parliamentary candidate for Tiverton & Honiton Neil Parish was there to support the hunt, and vowed that a Tory government would ask for a repeal of the Fox Hunting Act of 2004.

The final passing of the legislation which came into force in February 2005 was considered very controversial with many newspapers and broadcasters condemning Tony Blair's Labour administration for giving in to what they perceived as the prejudicial views of anti-hunting Labour backbenchers.

Mr Parish said: "You can see by the number of people around here how much they support it, and it's good for the countryside, good for Tiverton and it's great to see it carry on.

"This is a constituency which is very rural, with a lot of hunting people, so it will be a key issue in parts like this during the next election.

"Not everybody supports hunting, and what we've got to do is make sure that people understand what the hunt are doing, and make sure it's done properly. I believe it's very much a country sport that should carry on and most people will understand that."

Artie Biles donned a Santa Claus outfit to collect money for the hunt staff that look after the horses and the hounds. He added: "This money goes towards the staff for all the work they've done over the year, so it's our little collection from everyone to say thank you.

"We normally raise around £250, and it's a nice way of saying thank you, as a lot of work goes into not just looking after the animals, but rebuilding the hedges, putting new fences up and keeping the farmers and landowners happy."

You can see a Lew's News video report of the day HERE.